http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi_arabia/10329989.html
Saudi Arabia Saudi court pronounces verdict against 330 involved in terror attacks By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent Published: July 09, 2009, 16:17 Riyadh: Ten months after starting trial proceedings against some 991 detainees charged with involvement in terror attacks that struck various parts of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom's specialized criminal court has passed preliminary verdicts against 330 of them. Shaikh Abdullah Al Saadan, Justice Ministry spokesman, said the court passed verdict against 330 detainees in 179 cases. He said the preliminary verdicts issued by the court ranged from jail sentences for different terms to capital punishment. "One of the accused has been awarded with capital punishment. The sentences also include financial punishment, a ban on traveling abroad and house arrest in a city selected by the criminal. Some sentences specify the time for implementing them," he said. The spokesman said the convicts could appeal against the sentences as in other court cases. "The accused will have the right to defend himself by appointing a lawyer," he said, adding that the special criminal court had informed the militants about this facility before the trials began. "Arrangements are being made to help the media follow and cover the trials," he said. According to a previous official statement, as many as 991 terror suspects were facing trial. There were eight charges framed against the terror suspects, according to a report aired by Saudi Television Channel 1 on Wednesday evening. "The charges included membership of a deviant group and involvement in its activities, communicating and coordinating, and working with foreign agencies to conspire against national security by causing mayhem and insecurity, supporting and financing of terrorism and disobeying the ruler by traveling or attempting to travel to troubled areas in order to fight." Some people have been cleared of all charges, spokesman for the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIPP) said, adding that the court proceedings were set to continue for the remaining cases. According to media reports, the terror suspects facing trial included several key figures of Al Qaeda, such as Nasir Al Fahd, Ali Al Khudair, Ahmad Al Khaledi, Faris Al Shuwail, Namir bin Sihaj and Khaled Bin Juwair. It is noteworthy that Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz had recently directed the new Minister of Justice Shaikh Mohammad Al Eisa to expedite the trial proceedings against the terror suspects. Many a time, he has assured that the trial of the suspects will be fair and according to the Shariah principles. The minister announced earlier that the trial of 991 suspected Al Qaeda militants would start shortly after filing charges against them. As a follow up of this, the Ministry of Interior announced in October 2008 that case files against an unspecified number of terror suspects have been referred to the Ministry of Justice for starting trial proceedings. Militants have been responsible for more than 30 attacks in the Kingdom since May 2003. Ninety civilians and 74 members of the security forces have been killed, while 439 civilians and 657 members of security forces have been injured. Saudi security forces were instrumental in preventing 160 terrorist attacks, according to a Saudi official. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
